Welcome to town!

[Brian]

The day is a pleasant 75 degrees in the city, with a small chance of showers later this evening.  It is May, it is a Friday, and it is the 11th.  It is the year 2012, and it is shortly after 10:00 AM.

The Stone sits in the harbor, three miles out, but still overshadowing the City (or at least the harbor district) to a large degree.  The Stone is perhaps a half a mile square, though very little of the surface of the rock is actually level enough to consider building on.  Still, at the highest point, a brass beacon reflects light into the city, and atop that is the ever-burning torch of justice.

The Stone is also your destination, today.  It's manned by some of the greatest heroes the City has ever known:

Ares, who claims to be from Mars is the leader of the Justice Force.  With his powers of flame and his amazing tactical prowess, he would be an asset to any army.  Added to that his powers of fire and his immense strength make the being that looks like a greek god to often be believed to be one.

The Deflector, sometimes known as the Mirror Man.

The Ray, (though, she will insist that it's spelled 'Raye') fastest woman on Earth.

The Guardian, a hulking iron-bound brute.

And of course, Foxglove, the vanishing woman with the lingering smile.

The sign posted before the ferry to the Stone, of course, shows all of their smiling visages beaming a grin at whomever looks at it (except for the Guardian, who just looks less irritated than usual).  "The City Needs Defenders!" reads the top of the noticeboard.  Added to the glossy, photo-quality display is a hastily photocopied picture that only suffers for being a color copy.  Still, the legendary Captain Morris Ash (then dressed in his Distr-Action!-man uniform) is on a flyer labeled 'Take one!' (though, this is poorly crossed out).  Simple directions to this very sign follow, if you think you have heroic qualities about you.

Below that is a newstand, and behind both of them is the wharf, leading to the ferry, which is apparently gone.

Currently, this area is empty.

As we watch, however, hero-potentates enter the scene....

OOC:  You appear on this dock in the order you post.  It's up to you how you arrive (in your super-heroic ID, as your normal self, in a car, falling off a building, etc.)  I know I haven't given a lot of background information out, but that's mostly because I'd like to try and work a lot of that into the story.  If you need to know something, I'm usually PMable, and after next week when my promotion goes through, my schedule will be fixed (yay!).

So.  Game on!

[Bjorn]

The harbour is still, with that restful noise that only undisturbed swell of waves can bring.

But to the careful eye, there is more mist in the air, out beyond the edge of the wharf, than can be explained by the spray of waves beating against the quay.  Before long, it becomes clear that it is not mist, but steam -- and then the Gargoyle hauls his massive frame out of the water and onto the wharf, water hissing and skittering across his rocky hide.

Blazing eyes survey the area, noting with some relief the absence of people in the area -- there's only so many times you can deal with nuns throwing rocks at you before it gets a little upsetting.  Having determined the coast is clear, he makes his way over to the notice board, and takes one of the leaflets.

[Edward]

Hal parks his taxi somewhere near the wharf in a relatively inconspicuous spot.  Then, unseen, he dons his super costume and The Shoveller moves to where he can watch the notice board unobserved.

He sees Gargoyle's impressive entrance and considers.  Clearly either this is a clever villain seeking to infiltrate a new hero team, or a tragic hero shunned by society for his inhuuman appearance, yet doing the right thing anyway.

The Shoveller strides forward, a smile on his face and his signature weapon slung over his shoulder.

[Bjorn]

The Gargoyle sees the approach of the Shoveller and flinches slightly.  But as it becomes clear that the intent of the Shoveller is not, in fact, to attack him with the aim of defending the city, he relaxes slightly.  Besides, the whole point of becoming a hero is that this shouldn't be a problem any more, right?

As the tall man strides closer, he ventures a welcoming grin; the fact that the misty sky is lit up by the greenish-white flames flicking at the back of his revealed jagged fangs ruins the effect somewhat.  "Hi," he says, his voice the basso rumble of bones being crushed under the jagged rocks of Hell.  "Here for the try-outs?"

[Halbarad]

Unfortnately, the two heroes' casual conversation is rather rudely interrupted by a cry far overhead of "HUZZAH!"

Or it would be, except that the triumphant shout comes out something more like "HUZZ-*gurk*" and is followed a few seconds later by a gigantic *THUNG*, the sound resembling nothing so much as an oil drum being dropped off the top of a building.

The mists part a few moments later to reveal a large... metal... something. It seems to be about five feet tall, perhaps eight wide, and a couple of feet thick. Two flap-like appendages protrude from either side, two stubby feet from the... top? and at the moment these are unfortunately the only distinguishing features of the thing, whatever it is.

The flaps and feet begin to wave about after a few minutes, with a "Fthphth" noise emerging from the other side of the metallic object. "Stupid seagulls..."

[Bjorn]

The Gargoyle exchanges a mystified glance with the Shoveller, and then makes his way over to the recently arrived... refridgerator?  Reaching out with a massive clawed hand, he lifts the new arrival, putting him on what he hopes are its feet.  "Are you, uh, all right?"

[Edward]

The Shovellor stares in confusion for a moment then also approaches the...refridgerator.  "Are you all right?  That looked rather painful."

[Halbarad]

The voice that emerges from the squat, blocky thing is rather cheerful, for all that it just fell a few hundred feet and landed on its head. "Nah, it's okay - landed on my head, so it's no big deal."

The face that appears when the thing is righted is... unique, to say the least. It's about the size of a TV screen, with extremely large eyes, a cheerful expression, and two colored 'straps' running either side of the face, giving the oblong person the look of a rather perky suitcase.

"Is this where they're having the hero tryouts? I heard a rumor that they were looking for heroes here, and I thought I could give it a try."

[Bjorn]

"I, uh, think so," rumbles the Gargoyle.  "Though it doesn't really look like it, to be honest."  He looks around the abandoned wharf again, searching for any sign of the departed ferry.  "Anyways, I'm, uh, the Gargoyle, I guess.  Pleased to meet both of you."  He offers a massive, dusky-red paw, steaming slightly in the mist.

[Brian]

As the trio of would-be heroes stand on the dock making their introductions, a plume of water is seen jetting up against the Stone in the distance.  Looking more closely, anyone can see in the bright daylight that a small vessel is heading towards the harbor.  With luck, that's the ferry that will take you back to the Stone.

But even with the impressive plume of water rising behind it, it's still going to take a few minutes to reach the wharf.

[Halbarad]

"Pleased to meetcha, I'm Balrog! I'd, uh, shake, but arms aren't exactly my strong point," he says with an embarrassed grin, flapping the small appendages at his sides to emphasize the point.

[Edward]

"And I am the Shoveller."  He shakes hands with anyone willing to.  "Excuse me, um, Balrog.  How did you end up plummeting out of the sky?  And I'm a bit confused by your name.  You don't look like anyone I saw in the Lord of the Rings movies."

[Halbarad]

"Movie?" the squat box looks puzzled for a moment. "Ooooh yeah, I remember hearing something about that - it's from some book, right? Well, I'm the original," Balrog says with a self-important grin. "And I can fly, too, see?"

To illustrate the point, the flaps at his sides morph into tiny bat-like wings, nowhere near large enough to support Balrog's weight - yet, with a determined flapping, he does slowly rise off the ground. "See? I would have landed better, except I think I inhaled a seagull."

To accentuate the point, he makes a face, spitting out a feather a moment later. "I hate the waterfront."

[Edward]

The Shoveller scratches his head, wondering when he became the straight man for the group.  "So you say you're the original balrog?  Excuse my saying so, but you don't look at all like I'd imagined a whip wielding demon of fire and darkness would look like.  You're a lot more cheerful as well."

[Bjorn]

The Gargoyle is visibly uncomfortable with the direction that this conversation has taken, and is peering out to watch the ferry's progress, whistling nonchalantly.  Or trying to, rather -- in reality, it sounds a bit like a musical welding torch.